The Face We Never Forget
by Ribeiro1986
Summary: The Walton family suffered a great loss. They grieve and cry, but they eventually move on. Twenty years later, their path cross with a woman, looking like exactly the sister and daughter they lost.
1. Chapter 1

**Good evening; the following story its my first attempt of a suspense story for the Walton's, following the events from 'The Writer Of Darkness' and maybe 'A Lion In Our Family'**

**Differently from the other stories, it will take place in 1956, so the Walton's siblings are now Adults and having responsibilities on their own, Still, the first chapter, will be centered around the 4th season, so, its 1936, 20 years early.**

**Other than that, new characters will be add to the story, so they will be Curtis and Elisa Willard, their 4-year old son John Curtis. Mrs. Voight. And the respectives partnes of each of the Waltons siblings, like Toni and Janet.**

**Hop you like it**

**Please, enjoy**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1 – THE SOUND OF SILENCE**

_(1936)_

As much as he felt the rays of the sun, warming his face, he could sense something was missing. From the tree outside his window, no bird was singing and the only sound he heard was the leaves swaying sadly in the rhythm of the wind. It was a spring wind, but for some reason the air was as cold as winter.

Although his room was on the second floor of the house, John-Boy was able to hear downstairs, his brothers and sisters playing in the garden, while his father and grandfather worked in the mill a little ways away from the house. Today, however, these sounds were silent, replaced by conversations and whispers coming from the living room.

From downstairs, he heard the front door open again and his grandfather greeted the person who came in, presumably bringing more food. Yesterday, Mrs. Holly had come with an almond cake and today, it was Miss Emily and Miss Mamie Baldwin, who had brought with roasted chicken and a jar of their Moonshine Recipe.

These sounds, of people entering and chatting, were very frequent at the Waltons house over the last three days, as people would come and go, trying to bring the family some comfort, since a great loss had come upon them. Besides the food, people had also come to help in the house every day, trying to ease the family's pain. But everything was to no avail, as it only served to bring more tears to his mother.

_/_

His sister Mary Ellen had been so happy that day. John-Boy remembered her voice, full of joy and her footsteps running around the house, as she announced for whoever there was to hear that she had been accepted at the nursing school in Richmond. They celebrated that night, in the same way they had celebrated when Jason had gotten his scholarship, with a big meal and plans for the future. Next day then, they drove her to the bus station, with gifts and endless recommendations for how to get along in the city. Jim-Bob had said that she was waving good bye till the bus turned the corner and then... it was over. Yes, their father had offered to drive her to Richmond, but she refused, saying that this was something she should do alone.

The next morning, when the rest of the children were getting ready for school, a knock was heard on the front door and when Grandma went to answer, a man's voice was heard.

''Is this John Walton's house?''

"Yes," Grandma Esther replied.

''Is he home, ma'am? I would like to speak to him. I'm Sheriff Jared, I work at the road,'' he said, and Grandma went to call John and Olivia. Jason and John-boy, both sensing that something was wrong, shooed their younger siblings upstairs, telling them to stay in a room until someone called them back, then the two eldest boys returned downstairs.

There had been an accident. The bus which Mary Ellen had been upon had crashed into another bus and both vehicles had been set ablaze. No survivors had been found.

The world seemed to stop. John-Boy couldn't catch his breath, unable to concentrate on anything but the words he had just heard. From his side, he could hear Jason's gasp. But of all the terrifying sounds he had ever heard, the scream coming from his mother's mouth was the worst of all.

As the older brother, it was John-Boy's duty tell the other siblings what had happened. At first, they tried to not lose hope, but after almost a week of searching, the only thing they had found of their eldest sister, was her luggage and a bloodied scarf, making it clear that their sister and best friend was no longer with them.

_/_

Footsteps startled John-Boy and from the other room, he could still hear his mother's cried as his father tried to convince her to go, otherwise she would regret it.

''I think it's time,'' he heard Jason say.

''Yeah,'' he nodded, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. The two boys walked downstairs, to have their hands shaken by their friends and family.

The road to the cemetery was slow; the city as silent as the mountain. No one spoke during the procession, the only sound heard was a few whimpers from Erin and Elizabeth, Olivia's sobs, and Reverend Fordwick's prayer. Beside Jim-Bob, John-Boy walked, feeling the stones under his shoes, his cane tapping in front and the rhythmof Jim-Bob's shoulder, as he lead the way.

_/_

By and by, time didn't stop. What was an unbearable pain eventually became a throb in everyone's heart. At first, it was strange to realize that she wasn't here anymore, but eventually they started to not expect a goodnight, a hand to hold at the dinner table, or her footsteps as she made her way around the house.

One year, then five years, and it soon became Grandpa's time to go, but instead of feeling sad over his father's departure, John Walton was instead glad to know that someone was there waiting for him.

Ten years and the children, who were now grown, started to move away and have their own families. Ben was the first to get married, but it didn't last long for his wife, Cindy, died in childbirth, after only five years of wedlock. Then, a year after Ben, Jason got married and had four sons in less than five years. Elizabeth became a famous cook and, while Jim-Bob became an aviator, Erin decided to stay on the mountain and become a teacher.

As for their older brother, after years getting used to his new life and way of living, John-Boy decided to apply once again to Boatwright University, graduating with more credits than any of his classmates and moving to New York for a couple of years, where he published his first book.

A year after the second war ended, John-Boy return to Virginia and went to live in Norfolk. There, he found a job as a librarian and met his future wife Janet.

One thing, however, that he never told his parents, was that if, by some chance, someone asked him about Mary Ellen, he wouldn't be able to describe her as he could describe Erin or Elizabeth. And, if he had one wish, one wish that could come true, it would be that, when he goes to heaven, the first face he wished to see, is his sister's face.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2 – A DAY IN THE LIFE**

_(1956)_

It was just another morning in Norfolk, and Dr. Elisa Voight Willard woke up to the sound of the alarm clock. Once again, she had had the same dream. She was approaching the porch of a mountain home, but yet every time she tried to open the door, something would happen and she would wake up.

To be honest, it had been a good couple of years since she had had this dream, but it always frightened her.

"Good morning, love," her husband Curtis whispered in her ear and, in response, Elisa turned to her side and kissed him on the lips.

"Good morning sweetheart…another day in paradise," she laughed.

"Don't worry, sweetie, today I have a great reunion that can change our lives forever!" he encouraged her. "Now let's get up and keep our fingers crossed." He kissed her again.

"God can hear you, Curt," Elisa laughed as they finally left the bed.

One hour later, they both were up and ready to work, and they son John Curtis, who was four years old, despite of being very sleepy, was also ready to go to his daycare.

This way, after a good breakfast and a bit of "The Morning Show For Every Woman" on TV, they left. Elisa gave her husband a good luck kiss and promised to pick up Johnny after his daycare.

_/_

Once at the clinic, Elisa felt like all her days had been the same. No doubt though, that she was one the best eye-doctors in the state. Everyone there knew her for her charisma and her friendship with her patients.

Since she was young, the woman used to say that she was born to take care of people; she had entered medical school at around 19-years old and since then, never stopped doing what she loved.

When her father, Mr. Voight, got sick two years ago, she took care of him almost full time. However, what she really liked to do, was care for people's eye, saying that since it was the window to the soul and it needed washing.

Around midday, Elisa had attended most of her patients that day, the clinic looked like children day, as a lot of mothers and fathers took their children to be examined.

So, just after a little boy left with his mother, she also left to pick up Johnny Curt from the daycare.

_/_

John Walton Jr., once know as John-Boy, was feeling rather useless. In just two days, it would be his mother's birthday and he had to depend on his wife to buy the perfect gift, when he knew that in other situations, any guy could buy a gift for their mothers on their own.

''Would you stop complaining?'' he remember his sister Erin telling him the day before. ''Don't think of yourself as a blind man, think of yourself as just a man who just hasn't any idea of what to buy for their mother,'' she teased him.

''Very funny, Erin,'' he'd replied annoyed.

So, there he was, in the line of payment, waiting for Janet, who had forgotten to grab something, when a child's voice coming from ahead distracted him.

''Hi, doggy'' the little boy said, patting Virgil's head, making the dog owner smile

''Hey buddy, how are you?'' he asked politely. ''I'm sure Virgil liked the pat very much, but he is busy now and can't be distracted'' John-Boy explained.

''I'm back,'' he heard Janet say by his side, when the little boy asked again.

''Why you look so funny?'' the boy asked, making both adult laughs. Still, when John-Boy was about to reply why, a woman's voice interrupted the conversation.

''Johnny, who are you talking to…'' Elisa, the woman in question, turned around to see the person her son was talking to. But when she came face with face with a blind man, she became red as a tomato. ''Oh God, I'm so sorry!'' she exclaimed. ''I apologize for this…''

''Don't worry,'' Janet said. ''Kids ask questions, we know how it is.''

''We have four nephews, all under six years old. I have to explain that a lot,'' John-Boy said and he smiled down, trying to figure out where the little boy was. ''Hey Buddy, here's the thing. My eyes doesn't work like yours or your mom's, that's why I need Virgil here, to help me around,'' he said.

''But…'' John Curtis was still confused.

''Alright, young man.'' Elisa smiled at her son. ''That's enough, we need to go,'' she said. ''Thank you, sir and once more, I apologize.''

''It's alright,'' they said. ''Bye.'' John-Boy and Janet waved a bit to the little boy, who waved as well as they disappear in the crowd.

When the couple left the store, Janet, who since facing that woman, had the strange feeling of having seen her somewhere. Still, not wanting to confound her husband, she decided to let it be and they left for home.

_/_

All the way back home, John Curtis continued to ask questions about how everyone's eyes worked and why that man's didn't, and Elisa tried to explain it all the best she could to the four-year old, but it was difficult. Luckily, as they arrived home, the boy completely forgot about the blind man and his dog, for as soon as they stepped inside, he saw Curtis waiting for them with open arms and a huge smile on his face.

''Hello, family!'' he yelled, embracing both his wife and son.

''Curt!'' Elisa smiled. ''Good news?''

''Excellent news, but I'll tell you later. I want to see this little guy here." Curtis smiled and picked up Johnny; he spun the little boy around and embraced him tightly. ''You better keep all your toys together, buddy, because we're moving!''

''Wait…''Elisa's eyes widened. ''So you got the promotion?''

''Yes, ma'am, I got the promotion and we're moving to California! I'm going to be the head surgeon!'' he said.

''Oh, Curt!'' Elisa exclaimed and she gave him a kiss. ''That's wonderful! I can't wait to tell Mom about this!''

''Well, tell her that if she wants to move near us, she'll be welcome. She'll probably want to wait until till we settle down first though,'' Curtis said and she nodded. ''Now, how was your day?'' he asked and while she said it was good, Johnny decided to tell his father about the dog in the store and the man whose eyes wouldn't work.

''Yeah, he made me blush with such talk.'' Elisa laughed, but then both she and Curtis told the boy to not ask such questions to strangers anymore.

That night, however, Elisa woke up to another dream. The same one, about a house in the mountains and the door that never opened. This time, however, when she had been about to open the door, she had heard someone crying and a scream, but then she woke up.

Annoyed and not wanting to wake Curtis, she got up and went to the kitchen to make some tea and read for a bit. For a while, she'd been enchanted by a science fiction book named ''Eye, Robot'' by the author John Walton Jr. She had read all of his short stories about Blue Ridge Mountain in the past and she was simply loving this new book. And, for some unknown reason, Elisa had always had a soft spot for the name Walton.

When she opened the book, however, she had a surprise. The book had accidentally flipped to the back cover, where a picture and shot description rested about the author. The picture depicted John Walton Jr. sitting on a couch with his dog beside him. She made to flip to the chapter where she was but did a double take. She could swear that she had seen the man from somewhere before, and suddenly, it clicked. He was the man from the store, the one John Curtis had asked about his eyesight. She had met her favorite author from all time and not even known it.

The next day, Curtis woke up in a very good mood and announced that to celebrate his promotion, they would go and see the singer, Jace Walt, perform that night. A sort of date between just the two of them, while John Curtis stayed with a neighbor.

_/_

Another night's show and, as always, Jason Walton, now known by most as Jace Walt, his stage name, ran towards the stage with his guitar in hand to entertain everyone with his songs, something he loved to do. Usually, one of his siblings would be there to watch his performance, but that day all five of them were busy with their own lives. Jason couldn't help but feel a little lonely, despite of his wife, Antoinette, being just backstage.

Before leaving for the stage, Jason took a small look at the calendar and, seeing the date, he decided that it was the perfect time for a special request, so after the third song, he cleared his throat. ''Ladies and Gentleman, the song you're going to hear next isn't mine. It's actually a poem written by my brother, the author John Walton Jr. He wrote it a long ago, dedicated to someone dear to us and I stole it from him to sing this song. I hope he's listening to it.'' Jason laughed. ''Ladies and Gentleman, I present you with ''The Blue Star.''

Singing a song about his sister Mary Ellen always made Jason feel emotional, especially on this day, marking twenty years since that tragic accident. He remembered how it had taken John-Boy almost an entire year to finish a six strophe poem and another six months for him to summon the courage to read it to his parents.

Everything was going well at the show as it always did, until he stopped singing for a moment and looked at the crowd. That was when he saw something that almost made him jump out his skin.

Just in the second row, a man's arm wrapped around her shoulder, was his sister Mary Ellen Walton. Jason's heart stopped. She couldn't be there. How it was possible? He blinked once and then twice and she was still there, singing along with everyone else, as alive as the rest of the crowd.

''Jace!'' He suddenly heard his bandmate call him and he shook himself, returning to his senses.

''Everyone, let's sing together…'' he started and returned back to his song, though without his usual vigor.

Once the song was finished, he rushed to his dressing room, his heart beating fast as memories of his childhood washed over him, making him want to cry.

''Jason!'' Toni's face appeared in front of him. ''Baby, you did amazing!"

''Toni!'' He grabbed her hands suddenly. ''Sit down,'' he gasped, and she did.

''Jason? What's the matter?'' she asked, a bit confused; he was never like that after a show. Usually, he would be tired though excited at the same time. Tonight, however, he looked pale and shaken.

''Toni…I think I'm going crazy…''

''What?'' She placed a hand on his forehead. ''Jace, you're fine, baby. Let's just go home and rest.''

''Toni, if I told you that I'd seen my sister in the crowd, would you believe me?''

''Elizabeth or Erin?'' Toni asked, still confused. ''I thought neither of them were able to come.''

''I'm talking about Mary Ellen,'' he said sadly and in response, Toni kissed and embraced him. She had seen Mary Ellen's pictures at the Walton household and Jason had told her what had happened. Holding her husband tightly, she just took a deep breath and squeezed his hand.

''Darling, I don't doubt that,'' she said. ''You miss her and you wish for her to be here with you again. You saw what your heart wished, that's all. You aren't going crazy,'' she said and he kissed her.

''I love you, Toni. Thank you for been here with me,'' he said, deciding to forget what he thought he had seen.

''You're welcome,'' she said. ''Now let's go home. You're tired,'' she said and he agreed.

For the rest of that night and the days that followed, Jason forgot about what he saw. Toni was probably right. He'd been tired and been feeling emotional. Besides, as his mother had once said after his first performance, Mary Ellen was watching him, as much as Erin and Elizabeth did, from wherever she was.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3 – BACK TO THE MOUNTAIN**

With her house full of people coming and going once again, Olivia Walton was a bit distracted. Today she was turning 59 years old and as expected, a few friends and her family was coming for a party. So that day, after she woke up, she ran quickly to the cemetery to visit her daughter and father-in-law, before rushing back to get breakfast ready and start the preparations for the party, while her son, Ben, and her husband went over to the mill to make sure everything was organized. Just around midday, Erin arrived with the kids and Ben had finished work. He went upstairs to get his daughter, Cindy Marie, ready for the party. Jim-Bob was about to arrive as well, along with Jason and his family.

''Mama, you look beautiful today. I like this dress,'' John-Boy teased her when he and Janet came in. ''Happy birthday,'' he said and the older woman look at him with a confused smile.

''Thank you, John-Boy, but how did you know what I was wearing?''

''He asked me to tell him, in case he needed to tease you,'' Janet said with a laugh. ''Happy birthday, Olivia'' she said as John approached to greet his son and daughter-in-law.

''Attention, everyone! Jace Walt's band has arrived to the party'' Jason yelled from the doorway five minutes later, as his four boys rushed inside the house to congratulate their grandmother.

Half an hour later, the four Walton boys plus Erin were gathered in their childhood home, eating and chatting. Jason's boys were playing outside with Virgil who was off duty, and Toni and Janet were talking to Olivia and Grandma about houses and renovations. The only one who was absent was Elizabeth since she had a broadcast to film and couldn't make it.

''Yeah, but she told me she'd make you a surprise, Mama, so we better stay tuned to the show,'' Erin said as Ben came downstairs with baby Cindy.

''Everyone, look who is ready for Grandma's party,'' he said and, in seconds, all the women had come forward to take a better look at the baby.

''Grandma,'' John-Boy whispered to his grandmother by his side. ''How Cindy is looking?''

''She's wearing a blue dress with a bow on her head,'' Grandma Esther said, and he nodded as Baby Cindy moved around, being placed in everyone's lap.

''You want to hold her, John-Boy?'' Ben asked.

''Oh no,'' the older brother said quickly. ''It would be awful if I dropped her.''

''You won't honey'' Janet smiled, taking Cindy from her father's arms and walking back towards her husband. ''You better start training for when we start a family anyways,'' she said, placing the baby in his arms and kissing his cheek.

''She's heavy,'' he laughed. ''Ben, have you already decided on a godparent?'' John-Boy asked, but before Ben could answer, John announced that Elizabeth was on TV and they gathered together to watch their littlest sister.

''Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!'' she said on the TV. ''The recipe I'll be cooking today, is one that I want to offer to the most important woman in my life, my mother, who is celebrating her birthday today,'' she said, and Olivia smiled proudly. ''I decided to make one of her famous recipes, Applesauce cake, which my siblings and I enjoyed much when we were kids.'' she said and once she finished the recipe and show it to the audience, she smiled again. ''Happy birthday, Mama, the first piece goes to you,'' she smiled and then John turned off the TV

''Ben, are you alright?'' Jim-Bob asked, turning and seeing his brother with tears in his eyes.

''Yeah, I… she – she was wearing the blouse Cindy gave to her, last Christmas'' he said thickly.

''Ben, where are you?'' John-Boy asked.

''Here,'' he replied.

''Uh huh, where?''

''To your left, why?'' he asked, but in response, John-Boy jumped over him, followed by Jim-Bob, Jason, and even Erin, who start to tickle him, ignoring their mother's protests and only stopping when baby Cindy, who was sleeping in Grandma's lap, started to cry.

_/_

The birthday party was a success. The six Walton siblings, Elizabeth included, decided to make a pact of avoiding talk about their childhood in front of their parents, so they wouldn't be upset. So, between the food and the plan for Cindy's baptism, they had a perfect day, even better when all of them decided to sleep over at the Walton's old house.

Later that same night, when everyone had gone to bed, John rolled over to embrace his wife, only to find the bed empty. Confused, the man got up and went to look for his wife. He found her in the attic, looking through the children's old stuff.

''Liv?'' he asked quietly, hearing her sniff. ''Are you alright?''

''John? Sorry, I couldn't sleep and decided to come up here. I thought I'd try to find something that I could remodel for Cindy's baptism. Then I came across this old dress. It was her favorite dress,'' Olivia said and John remained quiet. She had done the same thing last year, an excuse to search for something in the attic, just to come across Mary Ellen's things. ''Twenty years, I miss our baby like it was yesterday.'' The woman started to cry and in response, John sat down and embraced her.

John sighed. ''I remember when she was first gone. I'd forget that she wasn't here anymore. I'd read the paper and see something that would make her laugh, or I'd come inside to tell her that her favorite rose is blooming. But then I'd remember,'' he said quietly. There was silence for another moment until they heard a baby cry from downstairs, and what were once tears turned into a chuckle.

''You think I should go down and help him?'' Olivia laughed and John nodded.

''You bet, otherwise she'll wake the whole house,'' John said and they made their way downstairs. Once in front of Ben's room, John gave his wife a kiss before returning to their room. ''Goodnight, Liv, happy birthday.''

''Thanks, sweetheart. Good night, I'll be back soon,'' she said, entering the room.

_/_

A few days had gone by since the party and, one afternoon while John and Ben were working out at the mill, they heard a honk nearby and a man in a suit was seen standing next to his car with a distressed face.

''You need help, sir?'' Ben asked as he and his father approached the man.

''Ah… if it's not any trouble, my car broke down. Do you know where I could find a mechanic? Or a place where I can call one?'' he said. ''Sorry, my name is Curtis Willard.''

''Well, Mr. Willard, you're in luck. My son here is a mechanic. We'd be happy to help you,'' John said with a smile.

''Oh, thank you sir, thank you very much. I'm in a hurry and can't be late,'' Curtis said as Ben left to get his tools.

''Well, it will take a few minutes. Would you like a cup of coffee meanwhile?'' John offered.

''Well, I think a cup of coffee won't do any harm. Thank you, Mr…''

''Walton, John Walton.''

''Walton? Are you related to the author John Walton Jr.?'' Curtis asked curiously.

''Yes, I'm his father. John Walton Jr., Jace Walt and Lizzy Walton are all my children.''

''Wow!'' Curtis said, surprised. ''I can't wait to tell my wife that. She is quite a fan of all your children, Mr. Walton.''

''I'm very proud of them,'' John said. ''Now come on, let's have a cup of coffee,'' he said, leading the way to the front door.

The conversation with Curtis was pleasant. He was polite and said he was on his way to tell his sister, who lived on the other side of the mountain, that he was moving with his family to San Francisco since he had recently been promoted.

''Oh, congratulations,'' Olivia said, joining the conversation, baby Cindy in her arms. ''You're young; I'm sure you will do just fine.''

''Thank you, ma'am.'' Curtis smiled. ''You have such a nice house,'' he said, a bit embarrassedly. ''My wife always dreams of having a house in the mountain,'' he said.

''Oh, well, you and your family are welcome to spend a few days here on your vacation," John smiled. ''I could invite Jace and John and then she would be able to meet them in person.''

''Thank you, Mr. Walton… you know, she told me to take a bus to come here, as it would be safer, but I preferred to come with my car… it's rundown, but better than a bus, I suppose,'' he said and Olivia smiled awkwardly.

''Well, tell your wife to be glad you didn't listen to her,'' she said. ''Now if you'll excuse me, it's Cindy's nap time.''

''Livie…'' John raised an eyebrow at her, but she pretended not to notice it.

Feeling that he had said something inappropriate, Curt turned to leave but as he did so, he saw a picture on the corner of the mantle. He had to do a double take, because the girl in the picture resembled someone. Elisa. His wife for six years now.

"Everything alright, Mr. Willard?" John asked, coming up next to him.

"What? Oh yes, sorry. My wife just resembles this girl. That's all," he said and John nodded. He gave him a small smile before walking him to the door as Ben came to say that the car was ready.

''Er…Mr. Willard, tell your wife that, aside from having a good taste in music and literature, she must be very pretty if you'll allow me to say that,'' John said.

''I will. Thank you very much for everything, Mr. Walton,'' he said and, jumping into his car, he drove away.

Once Mr. Willard left, John rushed upstairs to find Olivia in Ben's room, rocking her granddaughter to sleep. He took a deep breath, ready to ask her what that line downstairs had been about, but once seeing that her face was wet with tears, he relented and went back to the mill to help Ben.

_/_

Meanwhile in Norfolk, widow Martha Voight waited anxiously for her only daughter to arrive. It was just the other day her daughter Elisa had phoned her mother saying she had great news to tell her. She even said to pack her bags just in case. Martha took a deep breath and looked down at a picture of her dear late husband Jonathan. She smiled as she sat down on her bed, her bags packed as she thought back to when Elisa first came into her and her husband's life.

It had been twenty years ago on a sunny afternoon, Martha and Jonathan had decided to take a walk down the mountains. As they walked they inadvertently stumbled on the remains of a bus that had rolled down a ravine. seeing the mud try on the back end of the bus they saw it had been from the day before as it had rain the day before. They knew it was too much for the two but seeing they wanted to make sure that there wasn't someone in need of help they felt they needed to go down it despite their older age.

They managed to find a less steeper trail and came up on a most bizarre scene they ever witnessed in their lives. Half under the bus while half was in the water was the body of a young woman. Her skin looked pale and burnt after being in the hot sun but her chest was barely moving. Many others weren't so lucky.

"Oh my..." Martha gasped rushing down and hearing the sounds of someone driving up. "Jonathan go flag them down. These people need help." As Jonathan ran up to flag the driver down, Martha walked up to the young woman and was surprised to see she was indeed alive. When she glanced down at the young woman's face, Martha couldn't help but dream about having a child of her own. She fell in love with the woman and started to pray that her life would be spared.

It was just luck that the passing car was a young doctor moving to help the people there on the mountain. He came down and checked the other bodies before making his way to Martha and the young woman. He checked her body for injuries before he motioned for Jonathan who came and helped the young doctor to carry the woman to his car to be taken to the hospital a few miles away. It wasn't until they all arrived at the hospital that they discovered that the young woman had no identification and that she was also the only survivor of the accident.

"So she doesn't have a family?" Martha asked looking at the young woman laying on the hospital bed all alone.

"Doesn't look like it ma'am." The doctor said solemnly shaking his head. "But it shouldn't matter. Her injuries are quite serious. It was amazing that she was alive at all when you found her."

Martha looked at the young woman all alone. "Well, I'm going to be with her. She needs to know she has someone who's there for her." She walked into the room and sat down next to the young woman.

For the next six months the woman lived and after a little while later she woke up but she didn't know anything on who she was. But seeing Martha sitting there holding their hand she wondered if she was her mother.

"Ma?" She asked curiously. Martha looked conflicted at first before she nodded slowly.

"Yes I'm here." Martha said with a smile. It was there Martha was a mother. "Tell me do you remember anything?" The young woman shook her head. "Not even your name?" Once again her head shook slowly. "Well it's Elisa. Elisa Voight."

The name Elisa stuck as, after being legally adopted her. She then found out what Martha had done and thought it was the right thing to do. Elisa didn't worry about her past as she found love and gotten married.

Martha wiped at a tear when she heard someone walking into the house. She smiled when she saw her grandson running over his arms wide open ready to receive a hug.

"Granny!" John Curtis yelled pulling Martha from her memories.

"It's nice to see you, sweetheart." She smiled at her grandson. "Elisa dear, how are things." she said kissing Elisa on the cheek. "So what's the news?"

"Curtis got the promotion!" Elisa exclaimed with excitement. "We'll be moving to San Francisco next month!"

"Oh Elisa," Martha said with a hug. "I'm so happy for you!" The widow smiled. "I wish your father could hear this too."

"Me too Mamma." Elisa smiled and once John rushed off to play outside. "Mamma, I've been having those dreams again. About the door."

Martha nodded as she frowned. She hated how her Elisa had those dreams that didn't make any sense. She gently held her daughter's hands and smiled softly. "Sweetheart I'm sorry that the dream bothers you. But I think you can change for the best."

"How Mamma?" Elisa asked confused.

"You pray." Martha answered. "You pray and the Lord will give you the chance to make it so you can." The two women sat in silence and it was making Martha's heart ache. "Now, let's stop fretting over those dreams. Why don't you tell me about your plans about moving."

"Alright, Mamma." Elisa smiled hugging her mother close. While they walked outside to watch as John played the two women talked about the joys about moving and possibly letting Martha to move with them which made the recent widow very happy.

_/_

That night Elisa had the dream again. The door closed and felt like it was welcoming. As she approached it she gave a small prayer and grabbed hold of the handle. As she opened like she had the other times instead of seeing the blank faces of the people she had seen she came face to face with her Curtis and their son John. She knew it was then she was no longer going to be effected by the dream any longer as she knew she was ready for her new life in San Francisco.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4 – MEETINGS**

During the last twenty years, it had become routine for Olivia to visit the cemetery at least three times a week. At first, Grandma Esther used to say it wasn't healthy, but once John told her that Olivia felt comforted by going there, she decided to keep quiet. When his wife Cindy passed, Ben sometimes joined his mother there, so that he could bring flowers to his wife. That day was one of those days.

As she finished clean Mary Ellen's site, Olivia made her way to join her son and granddaughter a few meters away, when she heard someone calling her. It was Miss Emily and Miss Mamie and, despite of their age, they were walking quite fast towards their friend.

''Olivia, dear, how good we found you here!'' Miss Emily said.

''Not in the literally sense of word, of course, but we wished to talk to you,'' Miss Mamie said quickly.

''Well… sure…how can I help?'' Olivia asked.

''Olivia, we talked to Mr. Godsey yesterday, and he told us that you are planning a baptism for your granddaughter…''

''Oh… oh, yes, we are. Ben is waiting for her turn six months old, but yes, we have almost everything settled,'' Olivia smiled. ''Why?''

''Well, as you know, we have a big house.''

''So we decided to lend you the house and host the party there,'' Mis Emily said and for a second Olivia was speechless, glancing at Ben, who was still distracted by his thoughts of Cindy.

''Well… I … thank you, Miss Emily, Miss Mamie…'' Olivia started, a bit reluctantly. ''Let me talk with John and Ben first and we'll discuss it later… would you join us for lunch?''

''Oh, we thank you very much, Olivia, don't we, sister?''

''Of course,'' the other agreed. ''We see you later, so we can discuss more,'' they said and then bid their goodbyes.

Once they left, Oivia couldn't help but laugh at the awkward conversation she had just had and she couldn't wait to tell John about it.

While Ben and his mother went to the cemetery that morning, Jim-Bob, who was spending few days on Walton's Mountain with his parents, convinced John to go with him to Norfolk to buy some supplies for the airplanes he was taking care of. The trip started good; father and son went to a store Jim-Bob needed to visit and even had a coffee at some luncheonette. Still, when they were about to go back to the car, the distracted older man tripped on a tree and fall to the ground. What was supposed to be a nice day, ended up with the father and son at the hospital as they wait to a doctor examine John's foot.

As they waited and John read a magazine, Jim-Bob continued to watch the people passing by, when suddenly, he spotted a woman leaving an office and going up to the front desk, where she picked up some papers, give the nurse some instructions and continued on her way. Before she left, however, she turned around and for a brief second, her eyes met Jim-Bob's, who felt his heart chill when she looked at him. It was like he had met her before. She was familiar. Too familiar to know the truth and once returning to his senses, he shook his father's shoulder, trying to gain his attention.

''Dad, Dad, quick!'' he said, and John put down the magazine.

''What, son?'' he said, annoyed and in pain.

''Look at that woman!'' Jim-Bob said in a hurry, but to his dismay, Elisa, the woman in question, had already disappeared in the other corridor.

''What woman, son?'' John asked.

''A woman, she was right in front of us… she looked familiar. Where have I seen her before?''

''Jim-Bob, I'm a married man, if I keep looking at any woman beside your mother and your sisters, I will have problems,'' he tried to joke around, but before his son could say something, the radiologist called he and Jim-Bob to the examination room.

_/_

Back at the Waltons, Olivia was placing the dishes on the table as Grandma chatted with the Baldwin ladies when John arrived with Jim-Bob. As she saw her husband leaning on a cane, Olivia stopped what she was doing and rushed towards him with a worried look.

"John, what happened?" she asked.

"It's just a twist, Liv, nothing to worry about," he said and smiled at the ladies. "Hello, ladies, to what do we owe the pleasure? "

"John, we're glad nothing bad has happened, and we hope for you to get well soon," Miss Emily said.

"And we're here as we would like to talk to you. As you know, we have a big house and we want to lend it to you, so Ben can host the baptism there," said Miss Maime.

"Well, ladies, it's a nice offer. Thank you." John smiled awkwardly and look towards his son and wife for support.

While his parents were talking with the Baldwin ladies about the offer, Jim-Bob walked around the living room with an absent mind, as he couldn't forget the look on that doctor's eyes and how familiar she had looked. Suddenly, his eyes met the picture of his older sister, Mary Ellen. He stared at her for a second, just to realize that she had the same look as the doctor from Norfolk. He took a deep breath, not really sure of what to think.

Unaware of their son's thoughts and despite of Grandma's protest, John and Olivia accepted the Baldwin offer.

_/_

A few weeks later, John-Boy decided to pass by the eye doctor for a checkup. His eyes were itchng a bit and Janet had told him that his eyes seemed a bit red. So, on his lunchbreak from the library, he and Janet went to the eye doctor. The only disappointment was that Dr. Taylor, John-Boy's regular doctor was on vacation, so a doctor name Elisa Willard would be a substitute for him. On the other hand, when she found out who she was going to meet, Elisa became thrilled that she would get to examine her favorite author.

''Good afternoon, Mr. Walton, Mrs. Walton,'' she greeted them. ''What's the matter?'' she asked politely.

''My eyes are a bit itching latterly, that's all'' John-Boy said, a bit annoyed.

''His retinas are a bit red as well,'' Janet added.

''Yes, I noticed,'' Elisa agreed. ''I'm reading Dr. Taylor's notes, Mr. Walton, it says that you suffered a brain injury when you were younger''

''Actually, it was a blood clot, but yeah,'' John-Boy nodded. ''I hit my head and started to lose my sight graduality. They tried to operate, but no avail and I went blind.''

''Okay, let me examine it,'' she said and, taking his arm, she led him to another room. Once there, she couldn't hold the comment in anymore and told him. ''Mr. Walton, I apologize, but I'm a bit nervous since I happen to have my favorite author in my office,'' she said and he laughed.

''What a compliment. Thanks,'' he said as she picked up a light to look into his inner eyes.

''Your brother is Jace Walt, isn't he? Could you tell him that I love his songs as well?'' she said and in response, John-Boy just hummed in agreement. ''Okay, Mr. Walton, hold still for just a moment and I'll put a few drops of eyewash in. It may sting for a moment,'' she said.

''Ok. Ouch!''

''Sorry,'' she apologized. ''So do you have more siblings or is just you and Jace? My husband said he met your parents a few weeks ago when his car broke down and he said you are also related to the cook, Lizzy Walton as well?'' she asked.

''There's six, including me. Four boys and two girls. I'm the oldest,'' he said. ''Do you have siblings, Doctor?''

''No, I don't, but I wish I did. Okay, Mr. Walton, let's go back to the office. Are you feeling better?'' she asked, and he nodded as she led him back to the office.

''John, honey, everything okay?'' Janet asked helping him sit down.

''Well, Mr. Walton, what you have is an irritation. Have you gone to the mountains lately?''

''We did last weekend. Our niece is going to be baptized and my brother wanted to announce the godparents.''

''Well, I suppose some dust or pollen had entered your eyes. That's all,'' she said. ''However, it could be dust from the books. You said you work in a library, right?''

''What can we do to help?'' Janet asked.

''Mrs. Walton, you need to put this eyewash in his eyes, three times a day, during the whole week. Then everything will be back to normal. Meanwhile, Mr. Walton, I suggest you use shades more. They'll protect your eyes as well.''

''Alright,'' John-Boy agreed. ''Thank you very much. And for the compliments on my book.''

''You're welcome,'' Elisa answered. ''And if the itch doesn't go away, come back and we can try another medication,'' she advised.

Once they got into the car, Janet laughed. ''What a talkative doctor they suggested, huh?''

''Yeah, she's a bit nosy…I think she thinks my books made me famous. At least, I think she knows what she's doing, honey,'' John-Boy pointed out.

''Lets hope so. Now, lunch?''

''Yeah, definitely,'' he agreed and once Janet started the car, they went to lunch.

_/_

Two days later, Jim-Bob had left the mountain to go back to his own home in Reston when, passing by a street in Norfolk, he saw the same woman from the other day, this time with a little boy by her side, crossing the street to go to the daycare. With a frown, Jim-Bob took a few moments before deciding to turn around and return to the mountain, deciding to stay there for a few more days till he found out more about the woman. Something about her. He knew there was something interesting about her.

No far away from there, after dropping off John Curtis at the daycare, Elisa made her way to the clinic. Once there, she found a few of her colleagues leaning over the front desk and laughing with each other.

''Oh, he was so cute!'' one of them said.

''Who is cute?'' Elisa asked

''Oh, Elisa, look at what we found. This gossip magazine is showing celebrities from when they were young and this time, the celebrity is your favorite musician!''

''Jace Walt?'' Elisa laughed. ''Let me see it!'' she said, picking up the magazine eagerly.

The article in question talked about Jason's early years living on the mountain with his grandparents, parents, and siblings.

There wasn't much information about his siblings apart from the fact his older brother had gone blind in an accident, but there were a few pictures of all of them together. One was at taken at Jason's wedding, with him and his new his wife, Toni, joined by the whole Walton clan. The second one, depicted a teen Jason gathered with Elisa supposed to be his siblings, four boys, himself included, and three girls. Since there wasn't any subtitle to the picture, Elisa couldn't tell who was who, except for Jason and John Walton Jr., who could probably still see in that photo.

On the other hand, upon looking at their faces, Elisa couldn't help but notice a girl leaning on the piano next to the boys. She was very pretty and held a great deal of resemblance to herself. Intrigued, she looked again just to have the dreadful dream flash in her mind. The one with the house. The one with the door.

With a gulp, she decided to not look at the picture anymore and headed off to work, promising herself that she would go to the library as soon as possible and ask John Walton Jr., about what he knew about this girl, who resembled herself so much. It was unnerving, Elisa thought as she proceeded to examine her first patient of the day.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5 – MEMORY LANE**

With only one month left before the baptism, Ben decided to take Jason and John-Boy to Charlottesville, so they could help John-Boy buy a new suit since he was going to be the godfather. Meanwhile, Olivia, Janet, Erin and Toni, took the godmother, Elizabeth, to shop for a new dress.

As the boys drove up the road to Charlottesville, Ben felt nervous, as just ahead of them as the place where a bus had made them lose one of their own, and near there, was also parked Jim-Bob's car.

''What's Jim-Bob's car is doing here?'' Jason asked.

''I don't know,'' Ben said, stopping the car.

''Could you two explain to me what's happening?'' John-Boy asked, annoyed.

''Jim-Bob's car is parked in the middle of the road, John-Boy, and there's no one inside.''

''Well, how about the three of us get out and check and see where he is,'' the older brother said, getting angry.

''Why we didn't think of it before…'' Ben growled, parking his car behind the his brother's.

As their big brother couldn't see, it became Jason and Ben's duty to look around the place in search for their little brother. Still, when Ben approached the end of the ravine, he spotted Jim-Bob, trying to escalate down the cliff to get to the river there.

''JIM-BOB!'' Ben yelled.

''Where is he? Jim-Bob!'' John-Boy called to him.

''JIM-BOB! WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE DOING DOWN THERE!'' Jason yelled at him and in response the younger brother looked back.

''Guys! I'm trying to find out something!'' he answered back.

''Get back here, you moron, you're going to get yourself killed!'' Jason barked and, rolling his eyes, Jim-Bob grudgingly climbed back up the cliff.

''Jim-Bob, what were you doing down there?'' Jason asked, once he'd returned.

''Nothing''

''Nothing? Jim-Bob, you almost got yourself killed,'' John-Boy barked. ''You need some type of explanation to be there down in the cliff.''

''I was looking for something,'' he said. ''I wanted to reach that bus…maybe find something about Mary Ellen.''

''After twenty years, Jim-Bob?'' Ben snapped.

''I met this woman at the clinic in Norfolk the other day when Dad twisted his foot… and she looked like her,'' she said and Jason, to his brothers' surprise, nodded.

''At my show last month, there was a woman there that remind me of her…physically speaking,'' Jason replied. ''Could it be the same woman?'' he asked, and Ben frowned.

''Are you two serious?'' the widower snapped. ''Mary Ellen died when she was sixteen years old. If she was alive, she would be probably over thirty years old, and no one can age after death,'' he said. ''So, you two better stop it… It's impossible to bring anyone back. Not Mary Ellen! Not Cindy!'' he said angrily.

''John-Boy?'' Jim-Bob patted his older brother's shoulder, asking for support, but in response, the author just shook his head.

''He's right, Jim-Bob,'' he said.

''We better get going,'' Ben ordered again. ''And Jim-Bob, you need to find a better suit for yourself.''

''Why?''

''Because I don't want you to go to my daughter's baptism with that hand-me-down suit,'' Ben snapped and as soon as Jason helped John-Boy into the car, they left, leaving Jim-Bob alone with his thoughts.

_/_

While everyone left to mind their own business, it ended up that the great-grandmother Esther was taking care of baby Cindy. Before he'd left, Ben had put the baby in a bassinet near the couch, so his old grandmother won't need to move around much. Other than that, he made his father promise to stay around the house as much as possible in case of emergency.

Just around midday, no one had arrived back yet, and John had come into the house for lunch and to check over his granddaughter. He found his mother watching the sleeping baby and humming a lullaby.

''Everything alright, Ma?'' he asked and the woman nodded.

"Good to know.'' John smiled and approached the bassinet.

''She has angels looking over her,'' she said. ''Very special angels.''

''I know you're right Ma,'' he said, bending down and kissing the baby's head. ''I hope Pa is the chief of these angels.'' He laughed. ''Now come on, Ma, let's have some supper ourselves, before the baby wakes up,'' John suggested and slowly, the old woman followed her son towards the kitchen.

_/_

Jim-Bob couldn't hide his disappointment when his three older brothers left him alone on that road the day before, but not wanting to let his suspicions fall, the younger Walton brother decided to call his sisters and tell them what he wanted to discover. This way, just that same afternoon, the three Walton's joined at a bar to talk and exchange ideas. Still, when he told them about the mysterious doctor, Erin frowned.

''Jim-Bob, what makes you so sure that this doctor is our sister?'' she asked. ''Ben's right. It couldn't be Mary Ellen. She was only sixteen when she died. You just saw someone resembling her,'' Erin explained.

''Well, we never saw her, Erin… like we did Grandpa and Cindy,'' he said and Erin paled.

''You remember that day?'' she asked, and both he and Elizabeth nodded sadly.

John-Boy had been in charge of his two younger siblings that day, despite of their father ordering Jim-Bob to lead his older brother around. John, Jason and Ben, as well as Grandpa, helped carry the casket while Erin and Grandma Esther walked beside Olivia, holding onto each other and crying all the way to the cemetery.

When they had gotten home, Grandpa joined the six siblings in John-Boy's room and he told them that Mary Ellen wasn't gone, she was just invisible and they would see her every time they went to sleep as she was alive in their hearts and mind.

It was a beautiful thought of Grandpa to say, but the problem was that they had never seen her body. They just buried an empty coffin, so Jim-Bob decided to count it in his favor and to his surprise, Elizabeth agreed with him.

''He's right, Erin,'' she said. ''Look, Mary Ellen always wanted to leave home, maybe that whole things turned into an opportunity.''

''And you think she would put Mama and Dad through this?'' Erin grew angry. ''I know she always wanted to leave home at one point, but to fake her own death? Put our parents through all this pain? She would never do that!''

''I have an idea,'' Elizabeth started, taking into what her sister said. ''I'll go to that clinic and see it for myself. If it is Mary Ellen, I'll talk to her and ask her why she'd left,'' Elizabeth said excitedly.

''And if we don't find out the truth, in one week, I… we give up,'' Jim-Bob agreed.

''Alright,'' Erin said, a bit grudgingly. ''I won't want to get into this, but I cant tell you to stop.'' She said, ''Just keep it to yourselves, till you completely sure, please don't tell Mama and Daddy, alright?'' the big sister asked, and they agreed.

''Thank you, Erin, you are the best big sister ever,'' they said and she just shook her head in disbelief.

The only problem, however, was that they didn't know the doctor's name was Willard, so when Elizabeth went to the clinic that day, asking for a woman named Mary Ellen Walton, the nurse at the front desk told her there wasn't no one with that name working there. To make the matters worse, at that same time, Dr. Elisa Willard was somewhere else, minding her own business.

_/_

The Willard household was a mess. As the family was preparing to move in just three days, almost everything in the house was packed and half the furniture had already been sent to the port to go to San Francisco. Still, even in the middle of that mess, Elisa Willard couldn't stop thinking about that photograph she had seen the other day, the one included in the article about Jace Walt. The one that included a girl, eerily similar to herself. And so, after passing by the clinic to give them her resignation letter, Elisa decided to go to the library where John Walton Jr. worked in order to ask him about it.

John Walton Jr. was sitting at the front desk, while the head librarian was busy. He usually took care of the archives, but since his boss was busy, he decided to lend an extra hand at the front desk.

''Mr. Walton? It's me, Dr. Willard'' she said and he nodded.

''Hi, what can I do for you?'' he asked politely, though distant.

''Mr. Walton, I'm sorry for this but… I'm confused. The other day when you were in my office, you told me that you have two sisters,'' she started and John frowned, confused as to what to say.

''Yes, I have two sisters,'' he said. ''Why?''

''It's… Mr. Walton, a few days ago, I read an article about Jace Walt in a magazine and I saw a picture of him with all of his siblings, you included,'' she said. ''But something bothered me. In the picture, there was a third girl. I don't suppose you could tell me who she is, could you?''

''Well, Doctor…'' John-Boy started. ''I had a sister who passed away when she was sixteen. I suppose she was the one in the picture you saw.''

''Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Walton…'' she said. ''I was bewildered 'cause she looked a bit like me,'' she said and in response, the author just nodded and, feeling embarrassed, Elisa excused herself and left.

Next day, however, Elisa decided to return to the library. She felt guilty for bring such a personal memory back to the man's mind, so she decided to apologize.

Same as the day before, she found him at the front desk as a customer asked for a book. Once the customer had left, she approached and announced herself, apologizing for her indiscretion.

''I shouldn't have asked you that, Mr. Walton. I think I was just confused because your sister resembled me a bit… that's all,'' she said and he smiled.

''It's alright. If I was my mother, I'd probably cry at every mention of my sister, but us siblings were able to move on. We keep her alive in our memories where we can see her whenever we want. That probably doesn't makes much sense coming from a blind man though,'' he tried to joke.

''I see…'' she said and shook her head. ''Well, Mr. Walton, I wanted to say thank you… and to say goodbye as I'm moving away with my family tomorrow.''

''Good luck then, Dr. Willard,'' John-Boy said. ''I know you'll do well,'' he said, reaching his arm out to shake the woman's hand.

Without thinking, however, the young doctor took a step forward and wrapped her favorite author in an embrace.

''ELISA!'' Curtis shouted, coming into the library just to find his wife hugging another man. ''What's going on here?'' he snapped, making the two of them jump.

''Curt…'' she began, but he didn't pay her attention and approached the blind man.

''Look, you creep! Why the hell were you hugging my wife?'' he snapped but in response, John-Boy remained calm.

''Sir, I would like you to lower your voice as we're in the library,'' he growled.

''Curtis, it's my fault, I hugged him because…''

Curtis ignored Elisa and raised a finger to John-Boy. ''You're lucky you're blind…'' he began. ''Otherwise, I might hit you.''

''May I help you?'' Janet's voice interjected suddenly when she saw the other man harassing her husband.

Furiously, Curtis turned to bark at the other woman, but when he noticed the wedding ring on both her and the other man's hand, he just smiled. ''Nothing…apart that your husband was hugging my wife. Have a good afternoon,'' he said, holding Elisa's arm and dragging her away.

Once they left, a shocked Janet turned to her husband, she could see that John-Boy was also shocked by what happened. She felt restless, and the only thing she wanted was to know the truth.

''John, why were you hugging Dr. Willard?

''Dr. Willard felt guilty by something she had asked me and she hugged me,'' he said and Janet smiled and nodded.

''Alright then. Now, I think we better think up an excuse for all this shouting in the library.''

''You bet!'' John-Boy laughed, and they kissed.

_/_

As the Willards parked in front their house, Curtis was still furious. Once he stopped the engine, he looked seriously at Elisa, though much calmer than a few minutes ago.

''Elisa, could you explain to me what that was? Why were you embracing that man?''

''I made a fool of myself the other day,'' she explained. ''I was intrigued by a picture I saw a few days ago with a girl who looked like me and I didn't think about people sometimes looking like each other. The picture was of that singer, Jace Walt and his siblings, one of which was that author. I went to the library to ask him about it and it brought up some painful memories. I was saying goodbye and I suppose I was just taken over by emotions and I hugged him,'' she said.

Curt sighed and squeezed his wife's hand. ''You forgive me?'' he asked. ''I'm just so stressed with all the moving that I think seeing my wife embracing somebody else just pushed me over the edge,'' he said. ''I love you, Elisa, and I don't want to lose you.''

''I love you too, Curtis,'' she said. ''And don't worry, you'll never lose me. And tomorrow we'll be on our way to our new home and everything will be different.''

''I can't wait,'' he said and they shared a passionate kiss before going inside, getting ready for the flight the next day.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6 – FAILURE**

The following morning when were readying to go to work, John and Janet received a surprise visit from Jim-Bob who looked very concerned. It just so happened that after the incident with the pair of doctors at the library, John and Janet had completely forgotten that they had planned to meet the younger Walton brother for dinner. So he had apparently decided to show up and make sure everyone was alright.

''Apart from me almost getting punched in the nose yesterday, we're fine,'' John-Boy said it as a joke, but the pilot got worried.

''What do you mean punched? Did you call the police?'' he asked.

''No, Jim-Bob, everything's fine. A doctor passed by the library and hugged John and her husband threatened to punch him,'' Janet explained, seeing that Jim-Bob was getting anxious.

''And you told Mama and Daddy about it?''

''No, why would I?" John-Boy asked. "Nothing happened. It was just a small incident."

Jim-Bob grew curious. ''What was the doctor's name, John-Boy?''

''Willard,'' he replied, confused. ''She covered for Dr. Taylor at the clinic. Why?'' he asked, but instead of answering, Jim-Bob grabbed his coat and left without a word.

''Wait a minute, where are you going? Jim-Bob?''

''Jim-Bob?'' Janet tried to call him back but was too late and he had already driven away from their house.

As fast as he could, James Robert drove to the clinic. Once there, he rushed to the front desk, scaring the nurse who was working there.

''Please, I need to see a doctor named Willard. Dr. Willard.''

''Excuse me, who are you?'' the receptionist asked.

''James Robert Walton. Dr. Willard is my brother's doctor and I need to talk to her urgently,'' he practically yelled.

''I'm sorry, sir, but there's no Dr. Willard around here anymore,'' the nurse said, and Jim-Bob paled.

''What do you mean?''

''Well…there was a Dr. Willard, but she resigned a few days ago.''

''Resigned?'' Jim-Bob asked. ''Where did she go?''

''Dr. Willard moved with her family, sir. She said she was going to San Francisco.''

''Are you sure?'' Jim-Bob asked, his heart falling.

''Yes, sir.''

''Okay,'' he said, disappointed. ''Thank you,'' he muttered and left without another word, knowing exactly where he needed to go.

_/_

Headmistress Erin Walton Jones was having a breakfast before going to school when she heard the front door open. A minute later, her baby brother James Robert came in with a serious façade, worrying her.

''Jim-Bob? Are you alright?'' she asked, a bit confused.

''Erin, could we talk in private?'' he asked anxiously, and in response, she asked her two children to wait in the kitchen. When they left, she asked again.

''She's gone, Erin,'' he said and the older sister grew concerned, not understanding what her brother was saying, only understanding the word 'gone'.

''Who's gone, Jim-Bob?''

''The woman… you remember the woman I told you?'' he asked and in response, she just rolled her eyes as she remembered what he was talking about.

''Elizabeth told me she went to that clinic and found no one. I thought you'd given up.''

''Elizabeth didn't look hard enough. I know who that woman is. Her name is Willard; she was John-Boy's eye doctor…'' he said as an idea came to his mind. ''I think… I think I'm going after her… I'll take the plane right away and look for her even if…''

''No! Jim-Bob, you are not going to do anything!'' Erin snapped, holding him still.

''Erin, that doctor could be our sister. We need to talk to her and…''

''Jim-Bob, listen to me!'' she practically yelled. ''You are going to sit down and listen to me,'' she ordered.

''But Erin…''

''You remember when we fist learned what had happened, you remember how Mama was distraught?'' she asked and he nodded.

After they learned that their sister was dead, their mother refused to leave bed for quite some time. Their father reunited some friends and insisted on searching for Mary Ellen in every corner of the town, even after the police had returned them her belongings.

''You think I should let her be?'' Jim-Bob asked.

''I think you must let her be,'' she said. ''Jim-Bob, she was my sister too. I miss her as well, but I don't think it would be fair to Mama and Daddy to bring them this pain all over again. Just let her rest like we have all these years,'' Erin advised and Jim-Bob took a deep breath.

''And about Dr. Willard?''

''Well, I reckon Jim-Bob, you just saw someone resembling Mary Ellen and didn't take it into account that people sometimes could look like one another,'' Erin said. ''Still, if she is Mary Ellen, I think the best we can do is wait and hope for her return one day.''

''I suppose so,'' the younger brother agreed and wiped a hand across his face. ''You are a great sister, Erin. Thanks for being there for us and sorry for bringing you into this craziness.''

''It's alright,'' Erin said. ''Just keep in mind that we can't change the past. We need to face the future,'' she said. ''Now, we better find you a new suit to go to the baptism.''

''Why should I?'' he asked. ''The godfather is John-Boy, not me.''

''Well, you can't use the same suite for every occasion your whole life. Look, I'll go to school but then we can join Mama and she can help us find a nice suit, okay?'' Erin teased him, hoping soon he could forget about all the craziness. And, to her relief, he did.

_/_

Even after his sister gave him that reality check, James Robert Walton couldn't help but still think about the possibility of Dr. Elisa Willard being the sister they had once lost. Still, as promised, he didn't go after her, nor did he speak a word about it with anyone else ever again. He went home to Reston, promising to come back for the christening two weeks from the day.

Back at Walton's Mountain, as the preparations for the christening continued, the family has started to send out invitations and the Baldwins had already started cleaning their house to receive the guests after the church service that day. Ben's in-laws were the first ones who arrived on the mountain a week before the baptism, anxious to see their granddaughter and spend some time with her.

''John, Olivia, it's so good to come back here!'' Mrs. Brunson said as she jumped out of the car with her husband.

''It's good to have you here, Florence, Henry,'' John greeted them.

''John, how is everything going?'' Mr. Brunson shook the other man's hand.

''Everything's fine.'' He smiled. ''Now come on, you came just in time for supper.''

''Oh, before supper, John, I'd like to see my granddaughter. Oh, I've missed her so!'' Mrs. Brunson said happily.

''Ben's feeding her right now. Come on in and we'll surprise him,'' Olivia said with a laugh, and they entered the house while both Mr. Walton and Mr. Brunson continued to talk about the mill and John's plan for it.

According to Jason, however, there was a bizarre similarity between his parents and the Brunsons; both had once experienced the same kind of loss and that reason made them connect. They both knew how it felt to lose a child and the four of them had a granddaughter to share and care for.

One evening on the Friday before the christening, a few hours after Elizabeth and Jim-Bob arrived at the Walton's house, the young cook was helping her mother make a bottle for Cindy, when suddenly, the older woman felt dizzy, her heart tightened for a second or two, and she felt the air leave her lungs.

''Mama, are you alright?'' Elizabeth asked, worried.

''What? Oh, yes sweetie, I'm fine. It's just too hot today is all, and I think my blood pressure dropped a bit,'' Olivia said, breathing deeply to get air into her lungs.

''Are you sure? Don't you want to sit down? Should I call Daddy?'' Elizabeth asked nervously.

''Honey, I'm fine, really.'' Olivia couldn't help but laugh, feeling better again already. ''Now, your brother is busy with your father at the mill, so as a godmother, it's your job to feed your goddaughter,'' Olivia teased her. ''Now go. Florence has probably changed her so you can give her this bottle.''

''Alright, Mama,'' Elizabeth smiled and rushed upstairs with the bottle in her hand.

_/_

It was a Saturday morning at John and Janet's house, and the couple was having a nice breakfast with Janet's parents as Mr. and Mrs. Gilchrist had arrived the night before to join their daughter and son-in-law on a trip to Waltons Mountain for Cindy's christening.

At first, when Janet presented them with the man she was marrying, the Gilchrist couple were a bit uncomfortable by the fact their daughter was going to marry a blind man. still on the other hand, John-Boy couldn't help but wonder if his in-laws had really accepted him. However, as time passed, Mr. Gilchrist had become very fond of John as well as the rest of the family and he even read the papers aloud when they were all get together like he had when his daughter was little. He also had an inkling that his son-in-law enjoyed hearing the news, for he was unable to read it himself but too proud to ask for it.

''Oh, Lord!'' the old man exclaimed that morning while reading the paper.

''What is it?'' the author asked with a frown.

''It's in newspapers; apparently a couple weeks ago, a plane from Virginia crashed while landing in a San Francisco airport. The authorities are still investigating the cause, but there's no list of survivors…''

''Alright, Dad,'' Janet interrupted. ''I don't think we need to listen this kind of news at breakfast.''

''Sorry, sweetie'' Mr. Gilchrist smiled

''Well, Janet, darling, we need to clean this in a hurry as we need to hit the road!'' Mrs. Gilchrist try to hurry her daughter to get dishes done before they left.

''Ok, Mom, but first I need to tell you and Dad and John something...'' she began, grabbing her husband's hand.

''What is it, honey?'' John asked confusedly and she squeezed his hand.

''Well, John, remember when I went to the doctor a few days ago?'' she asked and he nodded.

''Yeah, I remember, is everything okay?'' he asked.

''Yes, everything's more than okay, John…'' She took his hand and placed it on her stomach. ''We're going to have a baby!''

The room fell silent for a second as John just ran his fingers over his wife's stomach. ''A baby?'' he gasped, then without another word, he stood and wrapped his wife in a tight embrace. ''We're going to have a baby!'' he exclaimed.

''Yes, we are. Are you happy?''

''I'm the happiest man on earth, my darling. I love you so much, Janet!''

''I'm going to be a grandmother! I'm so excited! Congratulations, sweetheart!'' Mrs. Gilchrist exclaimed and she hugged her daughter as well.

''Congratulations, you both,'' the father said happily.

''Thanks, Mom, Dad. Only, let's wait till the christening is over to tell everyone,'' Janet suggested, still holding her husband.

''Yeah, Ben will be angry with us if we steal Cindy's day,'' John-Boy agreed and after they finished the dishes, they left to go to Walton's Mountain, eager to tell the rest of the family the great news.

_/_

Inside that fateful airplane, a family was about to face their fate. However, what they didn't know, was that the woman without a past, sitting next to her husband with her son in her lap, wasn't the sister a family had so desperately been looking for. But now, it mattered not, for as the plane tipped again, the family was lost.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7- THE CHRISTENING**

Finally, the christening day arrived and Miss Maime and Miss Emily couldn't wait to receive all those guests in their house as they had never had such an exciting event happen in their own home.

At the Waltons household, the whole family woke up early to prepare themselves for church and the house was so noisy that it was nearly impossible to talk.

After breakfast as John went to check on the mill, he found his mother standing near the fireplace and staring at his father's picture. Making sure a smile was plastered on his face, he approached her and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Don't worry Ma, I'm sure he will be with us today," John smiled.

"I know," Grandma Esther replied with a smile.

"And, you too, sweetheart, don't miss your niece's christening," he smiled to Mary Ellen's photograph then back to his mother. "They're all going to be there; they're our guardians. Cindy too."

Grandma nodded.

Just then, Janet appeared, nearly ready.

"John, is everything alright?" she asked.

" Yeah, Janet. Where's John-Boy?"

"He's gone to the church already with Jason and Toni and the kids."

"Ah, Janet, could you help Grandma get ready" John asked, a bit urgently.

"Of course," Janet agreed and she took Grandma's hand. "Come on, Grandma, let's find you a dress," she said and the grandmother accepted the help.

Upstairs, Olivia was helping Elizabeth with her dress when Jim-Bob came in, looking downcast. During that whole month, he had thought about how to tell his mother about his failed investigation. Yes, he didn't look after Dr. Willard, nor had he told anyone about it, but since last week, he had had the feeling that he needed to tell somebody about her, and no other person was better than his own mother.

''Jim-Bob, are you alright?'' his mother asked.

''Yes, Mama, but can I speak to you for a bit?''

''Sure, honey, what is it?''

''I have been seeing a woman –'' he started and Olivia laughed.

''Jim-Bob, I'm thrilled that you've found someone, but can it wait till later? We have to hurry here,'' she said.

''That's the problem Mama, it's not in a romantic way,'' he said and Olivia frowned.

''Jim-Bob!'' Elizabeth gave him a hard look, warning him.

''Elizabeth, we're done here. Could you please go downstairs and tell your father that I'll be down in a minute,'' she said and Elizabeth left. ''What is it, Jim-Bob?'' Olivia asked, now serious and in response, the young Walton just took a deep breath.

''You remember when Dad twisted his foot, and I took him to a clinic in Norfolk?'' he said and Olivia nodded. ''Well, while we were waiting, I saw a woman. She was actually a doctor from that clinic, and John-Boy said she'd examined his eyes once when his doctor wasn't available,'' he rambled.

''Okay…'' Olivia nodded. ''Jim-Bob, I'm afraid I'm not following you,'' she laughed at her sons explanations.

''That doctor, Mama, she really looked like Mary Ellen, she really did…it made me wonder if she was alive or it was just my imagination,'' he said at last and Olivia's eyes widened. ''So, I talked to Erin and tried to convince her to help me find about that doctor and Elizabeth too, but she was gone, Mama, gone before I could find out if it was really her,'' he said. ''I'm sorry if I broke your heart,'' he said and the mother smiled.

''Well, you should be glad this poor woman didn't press charges,'' she said. ''And Jim-Bob, what makes you think you had broken my heart?''

''I couldn't make sure that she was Mary Ellen,'' he said and the mother took his hand.

''Jim-Bob, you didn't nothing to be ashamed about,'' she said. ''And you are right, she is alive,'' she said and placed a hand on his chest. ''She is alive right here and in all our prayers. And one day, we are going to see her again.''

''Thanks, Mama.''

''As for the doctor, I think you just saw someone that makes you remember your sister, that's all,'' she said. ''Now let's go, we don't want to be late.'' She took his arm and they made their way toward the truck.

_/_

The christening ceremony was something to remember as all the guests watched as Ben entered the church with Cindy in his arms, smiling from ear to ear. And, of course, Elizabeth had to keep whispering into John-Boy's ear, describing to him every moment.

Once the ceremony had finished and the family took turns to have a photograph session with the baby, they all joined at the Baldwins for the party. The old ladies were delighted to have such a day and the food smelled so good that they almost forgot the graces.

''You mind if we say the graces, Miss Emily, Miss Maime?'' John Sr. asked.

''Of course we don't mind John. We also give thanks before every meal, don't we, sister?'' Miss Emily said.

''John-Boy, would you say the words?'' his father asked.

''Me? I think Ben should be the one do it,'' he suggested.

''Well, you're the author, dear,'' Janet teased him.

''Go on, great author!'' Ben said joining in.

''Well, alright then…'' he cleared his throat and everyone joined hands. ''Dear Lord, we thank you for all the food and all the friends that are here with us today to enjoy each other's company on this delightful day. And we ask you to guard those who aren't sitting at this table with anymore, as well as the ones who will join us soon,'' he said and in response, Janet squeezed his hand. ''Amen.''

''AMEN,'' everyone echoed.

''What do you mean, 'Join us soon'?'' asked Elizabeth.

''Well…''

''John, you are such a tattletale,'' Janet said, annoyed. ''Well, we're going to have a baby, but we hadn't wanted to say anything so as to not spoil Cindy's day. If only my husband could keep his mouth shut.''

''Well, I already knew,'' Olivia said. ''But today is Cindy's day and I felt the same.''

''Mama, when did you became a mind reader!'' John-Boy laughed, turning in his mother's direction.

''When I became a mother,'' she said simply.

''Speaking of which, I'm reading my daughter's thoughts. She's pretty upset that no one is talking about her! But congratulations John-Boy,'' Ben said, and everyone laughed.

Soon enough, John Walton proposed a toast and the conversation changed back to Cindy and her christening, despite of everyone been eager to know more about Janet's pregnancy.

_/_

Later that same night, Ben couldn't sleep, for the day had been too wonderful, and the young man was too excited to sleep. Besides, for some reason, when he closed his eyes, he could swear there was someone lying beside him.

Annoyed, the young man decided to go downstairs for a glass of milk, when for the first time in years, he noticed what he used to call the 'Memory Shelf.' An old shelve where his parents kept the most important things, like Jason's harmonica, John-Boy's first braille machine and his old glasses, a baseball glove, and a few photographs. With a deep breath, he mentally wished goodnight to all his siblings, his grandfather, and his Cindy before going back to his room.

''Good night, Ben,'' someone seemed to call him. He turned around, wanting to know who had called him. In wonder, he noticed a picture of his big sister, Mary Ellen.

''Good night, Mary Ellen,'' he said before walking up the stairs back to his room.

**END**


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